[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1682

[David Houck]

November 7, 2018 

Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents &
Others

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1682

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

              We have two announcements from the weekly President's Notebook
of November5-9.  "After voting in the 2018 midterm election, blind and low
vision voters are encouraged to complete our 2018 Blind and Low Vision Voter
Experience Survey. Blind and low vision voters who cast their ballot at an
early voting center, local polling place on Election Day, or by absentee
ballot, should complete the survey at
https://www.surveymonkeycom/r/9BBTKZP."   

              "From November 1 to November 25, the national student
division, with support from our national organization, is accepting
applications from students who are in need of financial assistance to attend
the 2019 Washington Seminar. Please distribute the below link and encourage
students to apply. We need the student voice more than ever! Call Kathryn
Webster at 203-273-8463 with any questions."

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScy9KzkQGSNvmSBSSPdCobgPxtitBaR3NIa
x2zXhOWpv28OPA/viewform. 

              The NFB is now accepting applications for the national
scholarship program which began this past Thursday, November 1, 2018 and
will end on march 31 2019.  This annual program offers thirty scholarships
worth from $3,000 to $12,000 to eligible students, from high school seniors
beginning their freshman year in the fall semester of 2019, up through
graduate students working on their PhD degrees. Go to
www.nfb.org/scholarships for complete rules and requirements.  I would like
to strongly encourage many of our students from South Carolina to take
advantage of this wonderful opportunity and take the time to apply for one
of these national scholarships.  

              We have an announcement from Chris Danielsen, public
information director for the National Federation of the Blind.  "The
National Federation of the Blind is proud to present brand new radio public
service announcements for airplay on local radio stations throughout the
United States. Most of the spots are only thirty seconds long, which is
usually the preferred length, but we also have a 60-second announcement
featuring President Riccobono. In addition, two of the spots are in Spanish.
The spots include general announcements about the NFB, as well as messages
specifically targeted to parents of blind children, blind parents, and
people who are experiencing vision loss but who may not yet identify as
blind.  All the announcements are available for you to hear and download at
https://nfb.org/psas. We have hired a contractor to distribute the
announcements to radio stations across the nation. However, a personal
message from an affiliate or local chapter will substantially increase the
likelihood that the announcements will receive airplay. Please plan to reach
out to your local stations to let them know that the National Federation of
the Blind wants to reach blind people and people who are losing vision in
every community."  

              The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is
not the characteristic that defines you or your future.  Every day, we raise
the expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams.  You can live the life you want:
blindness is not what holds you back.  Joining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.  

              In this week's Positive Note we are highlighting Steve Cook
who I am certain most of you know but are not aware of how many things he is
involved in concerning serving the blind both in and out of the federation.
Steve Cook was born and raised in Lancaster, SC.

He attended attend school in the Lancaster public school system.  Steve's
mom and dad still live in Lancaster.  He had a brother two years younger
than him that passed away in 1989 when he was 20 and he has a sister that
also lives in Lancaster and she has two daughters and one grandson.   His
youngest brother currently lives in Monroe, NC.  He and his wife just had a
daughter that was born in January of this year premature.  She is doing
great, Steve loves it every time they come down and he gets to see and hold
her.  In the late 80's, the Commission for the Blind found Steve Cook a job
at Burger King in Lancaster.  At this time he had really good vision for
someone that was legally blind.  He used to ride a moped to work every day.
In 1990 Steve had a cornea transplant and once his eye healed, he was able
to drive.  He went to work for Walmart in Lancaster.  Then his vision
started to become worse after his corneas rejected.  Then Steve met Shannon
in 1997 at Rocky Bottom the same year he joined the NFB.  He went to the
Commission for the Blind to learn JAWS and computers and was in the first
Alamo class they had in the call center in 2001.  He learned about every
piece of assistive technology he could get his hands on to learn how to use
it.  Then he received a call from Ed Bible one day asking him if he would
like to be a vampire?  He said, "please explain?" Steve went to work for the
Red Cross as a person making outbound phone calls to previous donors to set
them up to come in and donate blood again.  During this time Jennifer Bazer
worked at the Commission teaching the Red Cross program to people in SC and
across the country.  Jennifer moved to Florida and that left the Commission
without a person to teach the Red Cross software to people.  Ed Bible
interviewed Steve for this position and he was hired on with the Commission
for the Blind.  Then he became a JAWS instructor when the Red Cross moved
their call center to Atlanta and started closing some of them.  Around 2009,
Steve received a promotion to his current position as an Assistive
Technology Consultant.  He also wears many hats at the Commission, and one
of his favorite hats is his Newsline Administrator hat for the Newsline
program.  Steve Cook's first involvement in the federation was when Martha
Robertson invited him to an NFB meeting in the Rock Hill area when he lived
in Lancaster.  He has attended all state conventions since 1997 with the
exception of the one in 2016.  The reason he missed then is due to Shannon
having a medical procedure.  He has attended approximately six National
conventions.  Steve Cook has been elected to the following offices:
Computer Science president, 2010 to 2018 and currently is the first vice
president; first vice president of the Columbia chapter; he was just elected
to the state board this year and he is also on several statewide committees.
Steve is also involved with Rocky Bottom, NFB of SCNet, manages the NFB Face
Book page, he is the Web content person for the NFB of SC website, and he
promotes different functions for the NFB on social media and on the NFB list
serve.  Steve Cook's hobbies include learning new assistive technology,
reading, sports, the Dallas Cowboys and the South Carolina Gamecocks, not to
mention NASCAR races.  Steve and Shannon attend enjoy being involved in the
NFB and Steve has had his guide dog for nine years as of this past July from
Fidelco.  Few have involved themselves more fully in federation activities
and philosophy, both as a volunteer and in his career in service to the
blind.  We salute you Steve as well as his lovely wife Shannon Cook!

              Final Thought:  Thanksgiving comes early this year on November
22 so start counting your blessings!

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